PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE

PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
The following photographs in Section 1 identify symptoms in roses which have common causes and can sometimes
be caused by Rose Rosette Disease (a/k/a Rose Rosette Virus). Just because you see a symptom or two in Section 1
– does not mean that you have RRD in your garden. The following symptoms can be caused by many things:
SECTION 1
Symptom
Leaf & stem reddening
Normal New Growth
Symptom
Leaf distortion
Drawstring puckering caused by
a plant growth inhibitor
(photo courtesy J. W. Pscheidt,
OSU)
Common Causes
Normal plant development; new growth
starts off red and turns green; environmental
conditions impact the length of time it takes
for color change; in roses where chilli thrips
are feeding, the red color may become
marbled with green
Rose Rosette Disease
Sometimes present; in roses infected
with Rose Rosette Disease the stems
and leaves may not turn green
Rose Rosette Disease - Excessive reddening that does not
turn green
Common Causes
Pest feeding (i.e. spider mites, chilli thrips);
fungus (powdery mildew) herbicide damage,
mechanical injury
Examples of leaf distortion on St. Patrick
Hybrid Tea Rose caused by chilli thrips
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Rose Rosette Disease
Usually present
Rose Rosette Disease – leaves stay
small (usually 1/4 to 1/8th inch) and
can look like feathers
PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
Powdery mildew can cause
leaf distortion (photo
courtesy of Baldo Villegas)
Symptom
Rapid stem elongation
and lateral branching
Asparagus-like stems are
evidence of chilli thrips
feeding
Herbicide damage caused by
vapor drift from products
containing glysophate (like
Round-Up). Leaves may look
like feathers.
Normal new growth in weather with
intermittent warm days followed by
cold days (photo courtesy of Baldo
Villegas).
Common Causes
Normal plant development; plant response to
temperature fluctuation and fertilization
(most common in spring & fall); chilli thrips
feeding
Unusual branching can be a symptom of
chilli thrips damage
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Rose Rosette Disease
Often present
Unusual branching with reddening
can be a symptom of rose rosette
disease
PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
Symptom
Leaf chlorosis (yellowing)
with mosaic patterns
Common Causes
Exposure to saline irrigation water; nutrient
deficiencies; other viral diseases; lack of
water or too much water; heat stress
Rose Rosette Disease
Sometimes present
Chlorosis
Chlorosis caused by lack of water
Chlorosis caused by iron deficiency
(photo courtesy of Dr. David Zlesak)
Rose mosaic virus can weaken
a plant’s ability to fight disease
Chlorosis on rose rosette
infected stem (leaves are lighter
green than the rest of plant)
Symptom
Thickened canes
Common Causes
Normal plant development; environmental
conditions; excessive fertilization; plant
response to temperature fluctuations
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Rose Rosette Disease
Sometimes present
PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
Thick canes caused by excessive
fertilization
Symptom
Premature development of
lateral buds
New stems forming at the base of the plant
(basal breaks) are usually larger in diameter
than new growth that forms in the canopy
Common Causes
Abnormal development due to weather
conditions (cool/warm/cool); pest feeding
(i.e. chilli thrips); herbicide damage
Excessive bud development on very short
stems caused by erratic weather conditions
Premature bud development
on very short stems caused
by chilli thrips feeding
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New growth on stem infected with
rose rosette disease (much larger
than normal with more prickles than
normal)
Rose Rosette Disease
Often present
Premature bud development
on Belinda’s Dream rose with
rose rosette disease
PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
SECTION 2
Rose Rosette Disease causes some very specific symptoms that taken in context with the symptoms in Section 1 can
help identify and confirm the presence of the virus. The following unique symptoms are prevalent in roses infected
with Rose Rosette Disease:
Symptom
Abnormal leaflets that may
have a feather-like
appearance and/or are
drastically smaller than
normal healthy leaves on
that plant
Common Causes
Herbicide damage and/or contact with plant
growth inhibitors and other products
containing glysophate (like Round-Up).
Roses can outgrow herbicide damage.
Sometimes this symptom can be caused by
chilli thrips feeding.
Rose Rosette Disease
Most RRD-infected roses
demonstrate feather-like leaves on
infected canes
Leaves
1/8th
Inch or
less
Symptoms of chilli
thrips feeding
Symptom
Stems and thorns become
rubbery and pliable
Herbicide damage on modern Hybrid
Tea rose
Leaf feathering caused by rose rosette
disease
Common Causes
Rose canes that are 1 to 2 days old are tender
and pliable. These canes usually harden up
within a week of development.
Rose Rosette Disease
RRD-infected stems do not harden
up and remain pliable and usually
can be bent in half without damage.
Thorns stay rubbery and pliable.
Stems and thorns on plants infected with
rose rosette disease stay rubbery and bend
easily without breaking. Thorns will be
soft and pliable instead of hard and rigid.
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PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
Symptom
Multiple distorted stems are
produced at the terminal end
of branches or from a
dormant bud eye resulting in
a ‘witches broom’ effect
Common Causes
No known alternate cause
Rose Rosette Disease
The most common and definitive
symptom of RRD
Symptom
Bloom distortion and bloom
color change
Common Causes
Bloom distortion is caused by a host of
problems (chilli thrips, downy mildew,
powdery mildew, weather)
Rose Rosette Disease
Bloom distortion with a change in
bloom color can be an indication of
RRD
Muddy tan bloom from St. Patrick
Hybrid Tea from bush heavily
infected with chilli thrips. Bloom
would normally be lime green
and have true rose form. Chilli
thrips caused the bloom to look
like a daisy.
Balling can occur in a wet humid
spring on heavily petaled roses
(lots of petals per flower) where
the petals are very thin. Moisture
and heat cause the petals to stick
together keeping the flower from
opening normally.
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Bloom/color distortion on a Hybrid Tea
rose infected with rose rosette disease.
Bloom would normally be dark pink
(photo courtesy of Virginia Cooperative
Extension)
PICTORIAL DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
Compiled by Gaye Hammond, Past President, Houston Rose Society
[email protected], 281/458-6116
Symptom
Increased thorniness
Common Causes
Can be seen with herbicide damage but this
is rare.
Normal thorn/prickles (photo courtesy of
Ingrid Taylar)
Rose Rosette Disease
Common for stems infected wtih
RRD to have excessive thorns. If a
healthy stem has thorns spaced 1
inch apart, canes infected with RRD
can have 50 to 100 thorns/prickles
within that same distance – making
the stem look more like a nettle than
a rose
Excessive thorniness caused
by rose rosette disease (photo
courtesy of John Hartman
Univ. of Kentucky)
For more information about any of the topics in this guide, contact a consulting or Master Rosarian from the Houston Rose
Society, www.houstonrose.org.
See also:
Rose Rosette Disease Slide Show, Greg Church, Ph.D., Texas AgriLife Extension, Collin County, Texas,
collin.agrilife.org/filed/2011/09/rose-rosette-disease-handout.pdf
Rose Rosette Disease: Demystified, Kevin Ong, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, http://www.agrilifebookstore.org/productpleplp-010.htm
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